New Year Paleo Challenge 2012
Sign up now for the New Year Paleo Challenge!
Click here to register.
What you’ll get:
-
The Paleo Challenge Kick Off Meeting. Learn how to lose weight and improve performance with the Paleo Diet.
-
Weekly “Stay on Track” Meetings
-
Access to our Paleo Challenge Discussion Board where you can get your questions answered by a Coach.
-
The Paleo Potluck Finale Party. Try some of the contestants favorite Paleo dishes and show off your Paleo cooking skills!
-
Cash prizes, membership discounts, Potomac Crossfit Gift Certificates, and Business Partner Gift Certificates for the top 5 Paleo Challengers.
Click here to register.
Kick Off Meeting, Before Pictures and Baseline Workout: 1:00pm-3:00pm Saturday, 7 Jan 2012 @ Patriot Crossfit
Finale Meeting, After Pictures, Final Workout, and Paleo Potluck: 1:00pm-4:00pm Saturday, 11 Feb 2012 @ Patriot Crossfit
Cost:
Individual Competitor: $79 $59 Early Bird special if you sign up before January 1st.
Couples: $109 $89 Early Bird special if you sign up before January 1st. *
*For couples purchase, just enter one name and email the second name to info@potomaccrossfit.com.
**Open to members and non-members.
***There will be no make-ups for the Before/After pictures, Baseline and Final Workout of the Day.
****There will be no refunds once the Paleo Challenge commences on 7 Jan.
For questions, post to comments below or email brian@potomaccrossfit.com.
227 comments for this entry:
Leave a Reply
Subscribe to the comments via RSS.
December 20th, 2011 on 12:13 pm
When and where are the weekly meetings?
December 20th, 2011 on 12:37 pm
@Michelle Z. – meetings are at 7:15pm at Moby Dick’s, 3000 Washington Blvd Arlington VA.
December 20th, 2011 on 12:38 pm
There’s free parking in the Phoenix building, across the street, after 6pm.
December 20th, 2011 on 12:53 pm
Brian – So far so good. Any particular day of the week or does it move around? If it is Mon. or Wed., would we generally be able to make the 8pm class?
December 20th, 2011 on 1:07 pm
@Michelle Z. – Sorry! Wednesdays only.
December 20th, 2011 on 1:07 pm
Also clarification: Kick off meeting goes 1pm-3pm. Finale goes 1pm-4pm.
December 20th, 2011 on 2:11 pm
YAY!!!Finally…. Thank god…. I need my motivation back!!!! Brian…. I know I’ll have practice until noon on the finale day…I may be a few minutes late…. Is that ok?
December 20th, 2011 on 3:07 pm
@Kristin L. – if you’re not there by the time we’re done After pictures then no. Also, if you’re going for most improved score, going to football practice ahead of time isn’t a great idea.
December 20th, 2011 on 5:20 pm
Very true..
. Didn’t think of that…. Well it’s paleo challenge for 1….. Can u send me the workouts maybe so I can test myself? I REALLY would like a goal… If not…… I’ll just set my own! 
thanks!
December 20th, 2011 on 7:32 pm
@Kristin – I’d say the best thing to do is show up and do the whole thing. Can you miss a practice?
December 21st, 2011 on 4:46 am
How long are the weekly meetings?
December 21st, 2011 on 4:57 am
Angela – that varies. I’d say minimum 30 minutes, but some go an hour. If people need to peel off early, that’s not a problem.
December 21st, 2011 on 7:48 am
I won’t be able to miss unfortunately….but I’ll sign up anyways….it’s for me mostly not prizes! Thanks!
December 22nd, 2011 on 5:23 am
So had a lot of questions about make-ups, but we’re definitely not doing those.
If you still want to sign up but can’t make the initial meeting, you can pay the fee and you can come to the weekly meetings and the finale meeting, but you won’t be eligible for the prizes.
If you’d like to do the initial WODs on your own or take before photos on your own, you can still come to the finale and do the final WODs and get an after picture, but you won’t be eligible for the prizes. You still need to pay and register.
The before pictures need to be from knees to top of the head (see the post above for examples) and you’ll need to do a front/side/back photo.
The WODs are:
WOD 1
AMRAP 1 Min Pullups*
AMRAP 1 Min Pushups*
AMRAP 1 Min Situps
AMRAP 1 Min Squats
*If you scale to either ring rows or pushups, you’ll be given a factor of .8 on your score.
WOD 2
You have 10 minutes to work up to a 1RM Clean (Power or Squat)
WOD 3
AMRAP 6 Minutes:
5 Burpees
10 KB Swing, 55/35*
15 Push Press, 45/35*
*These are prescribed weights, but you can scale. If you use these weights, your score is multiplied by 1.0, if you scale the weight, your score will be multiplied by: Your Weight/Prescribed Weight
Post any questions to comments.
December 30th, 2011 on 12:50 pm
If I’m currently ordering meals from Catalyst, should I suspend my orders until after the challenge? Total newbie to CrossFit and Paleo…so I’ll be the nerd asking a zillion questions.
I’m so ready to tackle this!
December 30th, 2011 on 1:13 pm
Hey Niki, thanks for signing up.
Catalyst Meals are totally Paleo, so keep em coming’
January 3rd, 2012 on 10:27 am
B! question for you. the last 2 meetings will be after PCF1 closes. Will those meeting times/location still hold? Or will there be a shift so those of us that may want to WOD that evening can? If not, I guess that will become my rest day…
January 4th, 2012 on 5:09 pm
in.
January 5th, 2012 on 7:52 am
@Kourtney – good idea, where should we meet around Patriot?
January 6th, 2012 on 1:52 pm
How about Cowboy Cafe or athirst Bernies which is right across the street?
January 6th, 2012 on 1:53 pm
That should read Thisty Bernies.
January 6th, 2012 on 3:22 pm
I’m cool with Thirsty Bernies, only issue is that we have over 90 people signed up, so if we have a big crowd, that could be a problem.
Any other ideas for large groups?
I could also do a video teleconference pretty easily. Even if folks don’t have a video camera in their computer, they could listen and talk with a headset.
Any thoughts either way?
January 6th, 2012 on 3:30 pm
Hoping to lose a bunch of weight during the paleo challenge.
Ri Ra in Clarendon will let you ‘rent’ out their back rooms for free. That could be a good spot, although not sure how paleo their menu is.
January 6th, 2012 on 3:32 pm
PALEO GOALS: To post as little as possible to this blog! I hate blogs!
However, I am good at following simple instructions. The “Notify me of followup comments via email” box is checked.
January 6th, 2012 on 3:45 pm
The past few months have been unhealthy for me. From a couple of injuries to poor eating, I need a kickstart for 2012. I’ve been a proud member of PCF for three years now, but I’ve resisted going full paleo. After seeing benefits from several friends, it’s time for me to give it a go. I definitely need to clean up my eating and trim down!
January 6th, 2012 on 3:48 pm
I’m not good at following directions…
Just selected the notify button…
Thanks!
January 6th, 2012 on 3:49 pm
Paleo goal: get jacked like Brian Wilson.
January 6th, 2012 on 3:53 pm
Looking to see how to transition to sustainment after the challenge (better than last year).
Washington Golf and Country Club? Maybe they have a room.
January 6th, 2012 on 3:55 pm
Really excited about this. Hoping to jump myself into the next level of my fitness goals! Let’s Go!
January 6th, 2012 on 3:58 pm
2012 Paleo Challenge Goal: Get back to eating clean after the holidays, but also focus on cranking up my WOD performances to get closer and closer to RX’ing WODs. Especially those elusive upper body strength WODs…. GRRR!
Oh, and it would be cool to win prizes again.
January 6th, 2012 on 4:02 pm
woops – subscribing
January 6th, 2012 on 4:04 pm
Want to lose weight and thought this would be a good starting point.
January 6th, 2012 on 4:04 pm
Paleo Goal – To learn how to maintain a consistent level of energy throughout the day and to learn what the right amount of food for my body is.
Regarding meetings – If there is a teleconference option that would be great. If there is a way to accomodate those who commute to the Arlington area, but don’t live there that would be great!
January 6th, 2012 on 4:14 pm
Re-energize, get back to eating healthy. Low carb works great for me, i.e. good results and increased energy level but I want to learn how to do it the non-Atkins way. Getting over tennis elbow and want to get back into Crossfit, physically feeling the effects of limited activity… i.e. I feel like crap!
January 6th, 2012 on 4:32 pm
Paleo Goals:
1. Stick to a diet plan in a competition in hopes it will root in deep and change habits for the long term. 2. decrease bodyfat %.
3. Win it.
January 6th, 2012 on 4:33 pm
To kick Louis K, Tim A, and Matt R’s collective ass.
January 6th, 2012 on 4:38 pm
Paleo totally works. I feel like it’s cheating when folks are (literally in some cases) killing themselves with diet fads, bad science, and foolishness… and I’ve got this bulletproof paleo plan (that I’ve seen some of the smartest people I know use and succeed on for the long term) in my back pocket to keep me healthy and well.
I’ve been eating pretty close to Paleo for the last 2 years since Brian Wilson dragged me out of a self serve doughnut shop on that hot Tuesday afternoon. I learned to love coffee, not the carbohydrate. The diet helped me to lose weight, stop having food coma, dangle less participles, and became a better American.
Goal: It’s time to tighten up the diet and pick up some new recipes so I have another great glucose/chol. reading at the end of the challenge.
January 6th, 2012 on 4:43 pm
Looking forward to kicking off first Paleo challenge tomorrow and, in part, cutting out the alcohol. Liver is already excited.
January 6th, 2012 on 4:45 pm
I’m looking to learn more about the nutrition science behind Paleo (i.e. how Paleo foods affect the body as opposed to other foods) and some good Paleo recipes that are quick and easy to make. I’m pretty much 80/20 Paleo right now but I’d like to go to the next level with my metcons and know that nutrition plays a big part in that.
And I like hanging around awesome people.
January 6th, 2012 on 4:46 pm
Also I should add my goal is to really refine my “somewhat” healthy diet, gain more energy to benefit my job and life and really elevate my WOD’s.
January 6th, 2012 on 4:49 pm
I’ve got to tighten up on the snacking and this challenge is just the thing to do it!
January 6th, 2012 on 4:50 pm
The last year has been a disaster for me diet and exercise wise, I hope this will help get me back on track and restart sustainable habits.
January 6th, 2012 on 5:04 pm
I need to stop snacking, even if it’s fruit and nuts. I would like to get into the 260′s and most importantly whoop Antwone in the overall challenge matrices.
January 6th, 2012 on 5:05 pm
PS. The photos are all taken privately, nobody’s dropping trou (trow?) in front of anybody but your photographer, of which you will have a choice of me, Alison, and a player to be named later.
January 6th, 2012 on 5:09 pm
My goal is to reverse the trend of the last 5 years of my life of working more and exercising less, as well as try to develop healthier eating habits. Hopefully, burning excess body fat will result…
January 6th, 2012 on 5:10 pm
Goal: getting back into the swing of things after a long hiatus.
January 6th, 2012 on 5:16 pm
Paleo Challenge Goals:
1. Learn about Paleo itself: What are the keys to the diet, what types of food I’m looking for at the store, recipes, etc.
2. Challenging myself to improve my physique… not necessarily losing lbs but becoming more fit.
3. Maximizing the return on my $80 investment!
January 6th, 2012 on 5:45 pm
my goals, to win and live healthier.
January 6th, 2012 on 6:02 pm
My Paleo Challenge goals:
1) Finish without cheating
2) Crush all of my O Lifting PRs in 5 weeks
3) Shave serious time off my Metcons
4) Go faster and harder without taking breaks
Looking forward to being full pale for the first time.
January 6th, 2012 on 6:25 pm
My goal is finish something I start and see if I can truly transform myself in thirty days. Plus, I want to feel better and have more energy.
January 6th, 2012 on 6:29 pm
Looking to lose one of my chins. I also want to see if I have the discipline to commit to 30 days of no beer or bread.
January 6th, 2012 on 6:31 pm
My Paleo Challenge Goals:
1) Feel Healthier
2) Look Healthier, which hopefully will bring back my confidence I started to gain in 2010
3) Metcons: improve my cardio drastically, so I may be able to compete in competitions.
4) Keep this as a lifestyle change and not fall off the wagon. I don’t want to lose what I gained by handwork AGAIN!!!!
January 6th, 2012 on 6:32 pm
Forgot to click notify!
DONE!
January 6th, 2012 on 6:35 pm
Goals for 2012 Paleo Challenge:
1. Find a way to easily and consistently bring paleo lunches to work.
2. Tone up for my wedding!
January 6th, 2012 on 6:44 pm
Oh, and actually work on the “less stress and more sleep” aspect of a paleo lifestyle!
January 6th, 2012 on 6:48 pm
1-Slim down
2-Use peer pressure to break my 1/2 and 1/2 habit and fruit by the lb meal plan.
January 6th, 2012 on 7:01 pm
Unfortunately I won’t be able to attend the finale of the competition since it’s the same date/time of my charity race @ http://hope.cupidsundierun.com/cur/participantpage.asp?fundid=3061&uid=6990&role=3
However these are the goals I expect to get out of it.
1. Reduce my stomach fat to expose my ab ripples more
2. Increase my performance on the bench mark workouts.
3. Utterly destroy the hopes and dreams of Louis Kim from even thinking he’d have a chance at beating me in improvement from this.
January 6th, 2012 on 7:21 pm
Goals:
1) eat healthier. End of 2011 was a doozy. I need support to kick start a better lifestyle. When I completed the challenge previously, I felt and saw results.
2) this time get more sleep and stick to routine with work outs. Significantly slacking on both.
3) make time for breakfast
4) clothes haven’t been fitting very well and I am sluggish-not a good feeling. Would love to slim down a little in certain areas and have more energy throughout the work day and beyond.
Really looking forward to tomorrow!
January 6th, 2012 on 7:28 pm
1. Cut Metcon times.
2. Rehab my sugar addiction.
January 6th, 2012 on 7:58 pm
1) I need a kick start to get back to eating well. I know this works and how well it works, but I just havent been doing it.
2) More new recipes
3) More rx’d metcons
4) Break 285 on my deadlift
5) Because I have not been eating well for too long, my pants are too tight and I dont feel as well as I know I can.
6) I owe it to myself to do something simple that can make me feel better. I really do believe paleo and showing up to the WODs helped literally change my life for the better last year.
January 6th, 2012 on 8:56 pm
Challenge goals:
1. Slim down and tone up
2. Develop healthier eating habits and learn more about paleo (and tips to stick with it)
3. Make it through the challenge without cheating!!!
January 6th, 2012 on 9:27 pm
Stay committed to strict Paleo for the entire challenge and establish a lasting habit.
January 6th, 2012 on 9:41 pm
My goal is to get healthy and start 2012 on the right foot! Also, i need a jump start after a few weeks of no CF and eating everything in sight.
Looking forward to the challenge!
January 7th, 2012 on 3:28 am
eat, sleep, and feel better
best of luck! this should be great for everyone
January 7th, 2012 on 3:50 am
1. Â Get stronger, leaner & meaner;
2. Explore food options outside of Lucky Charms & beer;
3. Â Be able to fit back into my Jordache skinny jeans (you got the look I want to know better ….) and
4. Â Destroy John A., Matt R. and Louis K. in the Paleo Challenge.
Good luck everyone.
January 7th, 2012 on 4:10 am
To everyone competing Brian told me yesterday that Ding Dongs are totally Paleo and help to build muscle tissue and endurance. So eat away! Good luck!
BTW B.Wilson please spell my name correctly when you write my name on the check.
@Antwone, Matt R., Tim A., and John A., at the end of 30 days you’ll have to let me know how the Hostess Solution Challenge went…#bringitbitches
January 7th, 2012 on 4:34 am
My ultimate goal is to kick the sweets habit I developed over the last couple of years. And of course learn more about incorporating Paleo into my diet! (And losing some belly fat is a-ok with me too!)
January 7th, 2012 on 5:36 am
Clicking Notify!
January 7th, 2012 on 5:40 am
I know being in shape is in fact 80% diet and I need to lose weight and get stronger. I’ve started to go paleo several times and never stuck with it more than say 12 days. The problem is, I really like bread and beer. So I thought this might give me some incentive to stick with it long enough to be totally on board.
January 7th, 2012 on 6:33 am
Goals:
Have more energy during the day.
Challenge myself to form better eating habits.
Learn more about the importance of how diet influences workout performance. .
January 7th, 2012 on 6:37 am
1. Lean out
2. Get Stronger
3. Improve on my METCONs
January 7th, 2012 on 6:43 am
Drop to 195 so my wife won’t call me fat boy.
January 7th, 2012 on 6:59 am
Paleo challenge goals:
1. Making paleo work for our family and not reverting back to Mac n cheese to make my life ‘easier’.
2. Getting healthy, starting to lose this weight and truly keeping it off – no more roller coasting.
3. Figuring out good snack options and meals for
School and work lunch.
January 7th, 2012 on 7:22 am
I’d be lying if I didn’t say lean out. So lean out. I did the Spring 2011 Challenge and felt a million times better and want to get that feeling back in addition to getting beyond the plateau I’ve hit with my workouts. I like backing up my decisions with facts so learning (again) why exactly Paleo works & what is going on with my body while eating Paleo would be fantastic. Good Luck All!
January 7th, 2012 on 7:36 am
My goal with the paleo challenge is honestly to lose weight and increase my performance. 2011 was filled with lots of excuses, wine, sugar, and cheese and from that I am feeling pretty crappy. I am excited to get back into crossfitting more regularly and clean up my diet to make the crossfit a bit “easier”!
January 7th, 2012 on 8:04 am
Get more disciplined in my eating, learn about how Paleo might improve my health and athletic performance.
January 7th, 2012 on 8:06 am
Looking forward to starting the Paleo challenge!! I am very interested in reducing my body fat and becoming more aware of how my body reacts to different kinds of food. I am very interested in paleo receipes as my main concern is not becoming bored with the same paleo foods. I want to improve my WOD performances and my fitness in general but what is most important to me is just feeling better which I notice when I workout regularly and eat clean.
January 7th, 2012 on 8:11 am
Paleo diet is very similar to hypothyroid diet. Two birds, one stone.
Plus I want to look good naked
January 7th, 2012 on 8:17 am
I seriously have no idea what my goals are for this challenge and I am ok with that. Goals change maybe I’ll find out half way through maybe I won’t. At the very least this is an exercise in discipline and learning what I want out of this.
January 7th, 2012 on 8:23 am
Goal in three words: relentless self improvement. I have been pseudo-Paleo since before I started PCF in October, and been pushing myself to be better about it since then. Now I want to take it to the next level. More specifically, figure out how to eat Paleo while working, entertaining clients, on the road traveling and other “gut busting” situations. I also want to use the challenge as a benchmark for my performance.
January 7th, 2012 on 8:26 am
Paleo challenge resolution- If Megan is able to remain alcohol/smoke free for the entire challenge, I will no longer post as Megan’s FUPA.
January 7th, 2012 on 8:35 am
Want to get stronger and better understand Paleo…
January 7th, 2012 on 8:50 am
Lose the gut, build muscle, win.
January 7th, 2012 on 8:55 am
Paleo Challenge goal: to kickoff 2012 with better eating habits and to improve strength during wods.
January 7th, 2012 on 8:57 am
For me, weight loss and support my husband’s more serious goal.
Rob’s goal is to get his diabetes under control and stop (and hopefully reverse) the beginning stages of organ failure.
January 7th, 2012 on 9:09 am
lean
January 7th, 2012 on 9:11 am
Desperately need to stick with a healthy and maintainable eating plan.
January 7th, 2012 on 9:11 am
goals for me are increased energy and strength through improved/changed diet, less headaches and better sleep.
January 7th, 2012 on 9:13 am
My goal is to be consistent and stick to a Paleo diet. My husband and I have been eating a pseudo Paleo/Primal diet for the past couple of years, but we cheat especially when it comes to eating out or we’re too lazy to cook dinner (we cave for Lost Dog pizza and beer). I also recently learned I’m allergic to gluten, so sticking to the Paleo diet is even more important to me now. We’re both looking forward to the challenge!
January 7th, 2012 on 9:30 am
Inconsistently working out and mindlessly eating in 2011 put me in the worst shape of my life. I joined this challenge to start 2012 on the right foot. My goals are to lose bodyfat and gain strength so I can scale the WODs less and be more fit overall.
January 7th, 2012 on 9:39 am
My goal is to loose some fluff and improve my WOD times. This is my third hallenge, but the first with no work travel on the horizon — do I am hoping to see what staying as strict as possible (with no excuse for eating too many nuts to avoid bready things) will do for me.
New recipe and meal ideas is always good too.
Good luck everyone!
January 7th, 2012 on 11:47 am
My goal is to get rid of my belly fat. I did not realize I was a stressed out mess until I heard Brian talk about cortisol. I guess I need to get that under control
January 7th, 2012 on 1:23 pm
put 22 years of vegetarianism behind me.
exchange tofu cravings for bacon cravings.
get strong, get lean, smile more.
January 7th, 2012 on 1:25 pm
Chicken wings ok? Sweet peppers that they have at burger joints? (lettuce wrap = money)
BBQ sauce? I remember there was a kind of ketchup we could use?
Craving a Beer here…
January 7th, 2012 on 1:26 pm
Awesome job today everyone. So wishing I could join in the fun (like having my pic taken by the women…)
January 7th, 2012 on 1:31 pm
Awesome job to everyone!
For my own memory:
WOD 1: 107
WOD 2: 185
WOD 3: 116
Total: 408 Rx
January 7th, 2012 on 1:40 pm
I’m changing my goal. Who cares about droping a few pounds I want sex and money.
January 7th, 2012 on 1:54 pm
Good job today, everyone!! I had to leave after the final WOD. Is there all of the info for meetings, etc will be passed? Also interested in getting my hands on that mind-blowing ppt that Brian showed us today.
January 7th, 2012 on 2:13 pm
My goal for this challenge is to get leaner and learn to eat better.
Good job today everyone!
January 7th, 2012 on 2:13 pm
Good job today everyone. The competition for second place looks deep.
Is it safe to assume B Wilson that if you are insulin retarded and looking to slim down that you should avoid all fruit. Also is Caffeine Paleo friendly?
January 7th, 2012 on 2:21 pm
Looking forward to slimming down and getting strong enough to do 5 pullups unassisted by the end of the challenge
January 7th, 2012 on 2:43 pm
Hospital habits: learning to establish good habits that I can rely on when I am on call and on rotations when I am unable to come into PCF. Unfortunately, I can’t do much about the whole sleep thing.
January 7th, 2012 on 2:53 pm
A
January 7th, 2012 on 3:00 pm
Paleo goal is to get even sexier.
January 7th, 2012 on 4:09 pm
Goals:
Get lean
Improve shoulder strength
Improve mental toughness and self discipline
January 7th, 2012 on 5:52 pm
Is Tomato Juice/V8 Paleo? Anyone know?
January 7th, 2012 on 6:56 pm
@KymEsco – best thing you can do is read “The Vegetarian Myth”, one of my favorite books.
@Simon – 90% of BBQ sauce is out b/c of sugar or high fructose corn syrup. It’s hard to find a BBQ sauce that doesn’t have that. Bars/Restaurants 99.999% have only bad BBQ sauce. You can find Chipotle Sauce that tastes like BBQ sauce, but w/o sugar, that’s good to go!
@Dave W. – Power Point is here:
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AcEYa6vYhiD7ZGYybXc4aF82NTZnMjd6aGJmeA&hl=en_US
@Louis – you must have been asleep during the talk: NO FRUIT, I REPEAT: NO FRUIT!!!!!!
@Francisco – super weird, but losing weight and getting pullups are the biggest improvements we see with Paleo Challenge – surriously….
@Pat M. – Impossible.
@Matt R. – #justshowup
@Dillon – NOOOO!!!!! Partly because that’s fucking gross, mostly because it’s just sugar.
January 7th, 2012 on 6:58 pm
First meeting will be at 7:15pm at the 2nd floor party room at 1020 N Highland St Arlington VA 22201. Parking on B2 level anywhere is free after 6pm. Take any exit staircase to street level and then to N Highland St lobby entrance where you’ll be able to buzz in.
Take the elevator to 2nd floor and take two rights. Party room at end of the hall.
Please be on time!!!!!! If you’re going to be more than a few minutes late, please post to comments.
January 7th, 2012 on 6:59 pm
Goals:
Win
Slim
200# back squat
300# deadlift
January 7th, 2012 on 6:59 pm
Last thing:
“Everything in war is very simple,” Clausewitz notes, “but the simplest thing is difficult.”
You are going to run into friction in everything you do!!!! If it was easy, everyone would be doing this diet.
You have to break your old habits, you have to adopt new ones to see change.
You will run into friction, things will be tough, you have to push through for five weeks.
You can do it if you work.
January 7th, 2012 on 7:00 pm
Selecting notify
January 7th, 2012 on 7:35 pm
I’ve been eating a pseudo paleo diet for 2 months now and I’m looking forward to seeing if I’ve got the guts to take it all the way. Getting stronger would be nice too but I know that will come by just showing up.
January 7th, 2012 on 8:07 pm
Are the rankings from todays woods posted anywhere? Or is it all a surprise in the end?
January 7th, 2012 on 8:25 pm
Paleo Challenge Goals: 1.) To lose weight and stay dedicated to the diet. For the past 6-8 months I’ve tried doing Paleo on my own but have never been able to stay fully on track. Always slipping up and having one too many “splurges”. Its time to stick to it and see the results. With the results comes my second goal: 2.) To be able to do strict pushups (currently doing them on my knees). Once I have that down I’d like to graduate from the blue band for pull-ups and only using the skinny orange and red bands. One day…..one day….
January 7th, 2012 on 8:53 pm
Paleo goals:
- slimmer body composition (slimming 2 belt holes is a good indicator)
- improved endurance and stamina to make it through a work out within a decent time
- figure out this paleo lifestyle choice an cooking habits.
January 8th, 2012 on 4:24 am
@Brian PFC
what day is the meeting?
do I need to read vegetarian myth if I’m sold?
is there a Paleo friendly protein powder?
January 8th, 2012 on 4:44 am
@Dillon – as soon as I can, which probably won’t be too soon.
@Kym – it’s just a great book. NO PROTEIN POWDERS, REAL FOOD ONLY!
January 8th, 2012 on 5:02 am
Please add me.
January 8th, 2012 on 5:13 am
Three questions:
Olives?
Beef jerkey?
Anyone have good portable snack ideas?
January 8th, 2012 on 5:41 am
BrianPCF I have two questions:
1. Can we eat mushrooms?
2. Are there recipe resources available? Any websites you recommend?
Thanks!
January 8th, 2012 on 5:42 am
Great first meeting and WODs. I really look forward to seeing my improvement at the end of this challenge.
January 8th, 2012 on 6:12 am
I realize this a duh question b/c it is on the ok list in the presentation, but avocados are not on the fruit ban right? We are treating them as a veg like tomatoes? They have been a go to snack and I just want to confirm they are ok as a food not just in oil form.
January 8th, 2012 on 6:57 am
Recipe blog:
Liz.patriotcrossfit.com
More to fiollow.
Anybody have any others?
January 8th, 2012 on 6:58 am
Mushrooms and avocado is good!
January 8th, 2012 on 7:12 am
Recipe blog suggestion:
http://nomnompaleo.com/recipeindex
I’m making a shopping list from these recipes now! (careful though, some recipes have stuff that is verboten for now)
January 8th, 2012 on 7:14 am
I feel comfortable sharing these websites because as good as a plan is, execution is still crucial. I also feel in order to make this fair I should share some information, Brian can you make me a cape or a crown I feel it appropriate to flaunt my win.
http://nomnompaleo.com/
http://fastpaleo.com/category/all-recipes/
http://bestpaleorecipes.com/
http://www.paleoplan.com/?gclid=CPe-z-3ZwK0CFcNo4Aod6WR5_w
http://everydaypaleo.com/
January 8th, 2012 on 7:38 am
Snack idea: Kale Chips
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/crispy-kale-chips-recipe/index.html
I made this recipe last night and it turned out great. I used bacon fat instead of olive oil.
January 8th, 2012 on 7:45 am
My goal is relatively simple: I need to learn how to feed myself and my son with food from somewhere other then a restaurant. My wife (bless her) usually does all the shopping and cooking. Mostly because my cooking will kill roaches. But she is going to Afghanistan in June and I will need to eat for the year she is gone, so I figure I might as well try to win some money while I learn how to eat well. I figure the best way to do that is to start with a clean slate and the Paleo Challenge seems to be good “framework” (I stole that from you, Brian).
So my question is: Where are the shopping lists posted that you demo’d in the kick off?
I look forward to learning some good habits and making a true lifestyle change.
January 8th, 2012 on 8:11 am
Shopping list is in the presentation linked above.
Note: a lot of these recipe sites have “paleo” deserts, which are a big no go during the challenge.
January 8th, 2012 on 8:56 am
“No Go” translation “Do whatever you want, it’s okay I have your money.”
January 8th, 2012 on 9:45 am
Okay, is it correct understanding that we should not cook with olive oil, only use it raw?
If so, what can we use to cook with?
January 8th, 2012 on 10:05 am
Laura – Olive Oil is fine to cook with, take a look at slide 29 for more options:
https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=0AcEYa6vYhiD7ZGYybXc4aF82NTZnMjd6aGJmeA&hl=en_US&ncl=true
January 8th, 2012 on 10:11 am
Also, here’s the links from slide 30, gret stuff here from Robb Wolf:
http://robbwolf.com/tools/
January 8th, 2012 on 10:20 am
@Sarah E, I agree: Good luck to everyone!!!
@Brian, I believe this was asked earlier, will we know our ranking from yesterday or is it “secret squirrel” until the end of the challenge”. I would love know if I was last or second to last in the Men’s catagory………..
January 8th, 2012 on 10:22 am
I never imagined I’d be posting a question like this but does anyone know where I can find sugar free coconut milk?
I went by whole foods today and the only coconut milk I could find was laden with sugar.
January 8th, 2012 on 10:59 am
coconut oil, milk & water = ok
coconut flour = ok in the Challenge?
January 8th, 2012 on 11:02 am
I didn’t see broccoli on the presentation list, but it’s in the Paleo website… Why not onions? Are they not in the same family as garlic (which is allowed…)?
January 8th, 2012 on 11:53 am
Catching up from the above:
Onion, caffeine, olives, beef jerky, sweet peppers = OK
Bar Chicken wings = Not OK (unless you make your own at home with a non-vegetable oil)
@ Dylan = Tomato juice is an “Ehh”. If you are trying to lose some weight, liquid food is not a good idea. After this month, I’d say V8 is fine.
@ KymEsco: Why are you using coconut flour? Unless of course, you are sprinkling it on your meat and vegetables. Read this :
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/p-nu/201104/smoking-candy-cigarettes
January 8th, 2012 on 12:47 pm
@ Brian PFC
ingredients on coconut flour package: organic coconut
it’s for baked Dover sole
really off base?
January 8th, 2012 on 1:18 pm
2012 Paleo Challenge Goal: Do at least one strict pull up; gain muscle definition; work on actually completing WODs as Rx’d; and learn permanent positive eating habits…oh, and of course, look good for the trip to the Bahamas on Feb 17th!
January 8th, 2012 on 1:22 pm
@KymEsco – no coconut flour during the challenge.
Great interview with Taubes:
http://m.thebrowser.com/interviews/gary-taubes-on-dieting
@Everybody – What did you eat today?
January 8th, 2012 on 2:07 pm
1045: Omelet (Peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms) + 2 pieces of turkey bacon, 2 small sausage links.
1600: Anti-pasta Chicken Salad: Chicken breast, tomatoes, onions, artichokes, celery carrots.
Tonight: Bacon + Eggs, and then some salmon and cherry tomatoes if (and I will) get hungry again.
January 8th, 2012 on 2:13 pm
Today’s menu so far:
Brunch:
3 strips bacon
Omelette with onion, peppers, and sausage, 1/2 sliced tomato on the side (salt and pepper on everything).
Black coffee and water.
Dinner (planned): Grilled skirt steak over salad greens, with onion and an olive oil and vinegar dressing.
For Brian and others: I have an early first challenge in the challenge — a quickie trip to NYC for an all day high stress deposition. Dinner the night before I can handle (some form of steak, some form of vegetable). But day of is going to be a bear…likely lunch standing up somewhere during a short break, then a sprint to Penn Station for the train home. Thoughts on things I can throw in my bag (or buy at a bodega) that will keep me full, keep me mentally sharp, and not leave me so hungry and unsatisfied that I break down and grab a jumbo slice of pizza and extra large beer for the ride home?
January 8th, 2012 on 2:22 pm
@Matt R. I’m in a similar situation. I fly to California tomorrow and will be there 5 days. I’ll attend social and a catered dinner during that time. For the flight out (and back) I’m throwing a few packs of tuna and a medium sized bag of mixed veggies that I put together in to my carry-on. For the social and dinner, I’m going to pre-eat before I attend both events and then just wat a little of whatever paleo options they throw at me. And I am prepared to feign a seizure if someone tries to force me to eat a dinner roll.
January 8th, 2012 on 2:35 pm
@Matt R. & David W.
My go to meal on the go is Chicken and peas.
Rotisserie chickens are clutch . Whole Foods is usually pretty good because they don’t add anything extra except herbs. The night before cut up the chicken, remove the skin, and split into two meals. Heat up a bag of peas to go with the chicken. Microwave the meal with a damp paper towel on top (it steams the food and keeps it from drying out). Simple, plain, quick and it’s two meals for less than 10 dollars.
January 8th, 2012 on 2:43 pm
Coffee
Omelette with bacon, ham and sausage
Salad with cucumber, peppers, radishes, tomatoes and steak –olive oil and vinegar from “ah love oil” in shirlington. If you havent been there, you must go!
January 8th, 2012 on 2:55 pm
Bacon and eggs for breakfast.
Smoked oysters for a snack.
Chicken bresaola and salad for lunch.
Hamburger, grass fed ground from short ribs, with bacon and a salad.
Does my but look big?
January 8th, 2012 on 3:10 pm
Sleep: 8hrs
B: 3 eggs w/ salmon, mushroom, spinach, tomatoes
L: Spinach and kale salad (leftover from sweet green yesterday), w/ egg, chicken, bacon, avacado, carrots, peppers, olive oil
Snacks: couple shrimp, olives, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and currently making spicy kale chips and salsa while waiting for my avocados to ripen…
D: Beef Filet, Sweet potato, brussel sprouts w/mushrooms and onion
Drinks: water, black coffee, cardamon tea
Still hungry….
I also added a calendar page to my nutrition tracker. How can I upload it as an addition for anyone that wants it? Or can I send it to you Bryan and you do it?
January 8th, 2012 on 3:25 pm
What’s the verdict on frozen/canned vegetables? They’re convenient for short-order cooking… but are they ok for Paleo?
January 8th, 2012 on 4:01 pm
What’s the ruling on vinegar? Balsamic or otherwise? It strikes me that, well, vinegar is grapes, grapes are fruit, fruit is verboten during the challenge. Would kind of suck ’cause I like me some vinegar as a seasoning on salads…
January 8th, 2012 on 4:12 pm
@Dillon – stop being anal retentive.
@Nishal – love frozen veggies, one of my daily go-to’s.
@Matt – Vinegar (all) good to go.
January 8th, 2012 on 4:29 pm
Had coffee with light coconut milk–putrid. Will go all black from now on.
January 8th, 2012 on 4:40 pm
Went out last night and only drank club soda. This is especially awesome of me because I was charged $2 per (small!) glass. #WFT
January 8th, 2012 on 4:40 pm
That’s what she said.
January 8th, 2012 on 4:46 pm
Can you use Senna Leaf?
January 8th, 2012 on 4:52 pm
my goal is to experiment with eliminating fruit and nuts from my diet and see what happens as well as clean up the other categories. already had gluten, most dairy and most sugar out. goal in the gym is to see if i can feel less taxed and get faster on metcons.
breakfast – 2 hard boiled eggs, 3 bacon
lunch – big salad with steak, egg, avocado and black coffee, side of asparagus
dinner – homemade curry/zucchini soup, and shrimp cooked with coconut milk and green curry paste
curry paste from bottle consisted of – green chili, garlic, lemongrass, thai ginger salt shallots and kaffir lime
January 8th, 2012 on 4:57 pm
also hit up the farmer’s market on columbia pike for bacon, ground beef and pork chops. if you’re looking for grass fed meats they are there every sunday 10a-1p through the winter.
another trick that works for me when you want something crunchy – get a large daikon radish – hope these are ok, didn’t check the list. there large enough that you can make chips. great to dip in guacamole or other veggie dips and flavor neutral.
January 8th, 2012 on 5:08 pm
Snack idea that takes a little work, but is worth it is scotch eggs- hard boiled eggs wrapped in the ground meat of your choice and baked. SO good, easy to make. One is a substantial snack, more than one and some veggies would make a meal.
Got the recipe from “Well Fed”, by the chick who does The Clothes Make the Girl
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com
I’ll post the recipe if someone wants it. It took me under 2 hours from boiling the eggs from popping one in my mouth.
January 8th, 2012 on 5:10 pm
Breakfast: Coffee, with a dash of Milk, 3 eggs scrambled, 1 Adele’s Sausage. Had Mango in it…….OOOOOPPSSS! (Its ok, Louis K has my money)
Lunch: Salad – Avocado, Tuna (plain), lettuce, carrots, Olive Oil, salt/pepper (I really needed to go grocery shopping.)
Dinner: Awesome Chicken (Local Market in Falls Church) $16 but totally worth it (cooked in slow cooker aaaaaallllllllllll day. Mmmmmmmmmmmm!) and Spaghetti squash with LOTS of butter (Oooops, butter! Damnit, I might as well just leave Louis K with my money!)
January 8th, 2012 on 5:13 pm
NOTE: When buying the “Roast Beef” from Whole Foods, as lunch meat, you will get a bunch of uncooked meat. So, this maybe not be a surprise to most, but it sure shocked me! Just a bag of bloody meat….. Gonna cook it all up and put it back in the fridge!
January 8th, 2012 on 5:15 pm
Day 1:
B – 1 Egg/1 Egg White Omelet with Spinach and three strips of bacon
L – Leftover pan-roasted chicken w/ Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
D – Grass-fed Beef Chili (90% Lean) w/ Diced Tomatoes, Chopped Onions, Chopped Green Peppers (plenty of chili left for lunches!)
January 8th, 2012 on 5:37 pm
hi all,
i hope everyone is doing well so far. for me, it wasn’t too bad today.
breakfast: 3 trader joes chicken breakfast sausage links
lunch: brussel sprouts with bacon (2 servings ’cause it is damn good!, recipe can be found on LizPCF’s webpage) and some left over shrimp cocktail
dinner: crockpot chicken curry soup (recipe below)
a few suggestions based on comments already posted by folks:
Matt R and whoever else was traveling: i do ALOT of international travel for work. and sticking paleo is tough (especially when you are offered forbidden foods but there is no diplomatic way of saying NO). for my trips, i choose to stay paleo at the expense of staying strict — meaning, I took nuts (I would either make little snack baggies that had only one serving, or get the Trader Joes Almonds that are pre packaged as one serving). And I also did a lot of jerky (the ones from Trader Joes are pretty fabulous, just maybe stay away from the teriyaki ones during the challenge). I can attest that both will make it through TSA and customs abroad. I would also make little baggies of cut veggies (carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, cukes, etc). Those worked well on the plane too.
For others looking for ‘snack’ ideas, I am not sure if Brian mentioned this during the meeting yesterday, but i know he has said in the past — if you eat enough during your regular meals, you shouldn’t need to snack. For those of us that are trying to break out of the ‘calorie reduction for weightloss’ mindset, I have found this to be one of the hardest things to overcome. For my meals, I usually don’t have enough fat or veggies. So adding olive oil, coconut oil, etc — even an avocado to a meal — has helped me overcome the snacking. Brian has a really good paleo dressing that I like to smother my salads with. I also use it as a ‘dip’ for my cut raw veggies that I take for lunch.
Along the same line, I also try to do mini meals. As in, if I am feeling hungry, I try to have some protein along with my veggies. A favorite (and often a pre-WOD snack) is a few slices of deli meat (I like the Applegate Naturals brand that is at TJs and Whole Foods) and take one of the 100 calorie guacamole packs and squirt a bit on a slice, roll it up and go. Or you could use a small wedge of avocado instead. I have heard mixed things about having some fat before a WOD, but this works for me. I also have it an hour or two before.
something else I do to try to help me make the right food choices and not snack — I spend a good chunk of time on sunday afternoons making my meals for the week. This includes breakfasts (usually some form of egg + veggies + bacon/sausage), lunches and dinners. i find that if i don’t have a meal prepared a head of time, i get lazy/tired/whatever other excuse i can think of, i make poor food choices. this also includes the times when my blood sugar plummets and all i can think of is getting the next edible thing into my system to level out the cranky. this being said, i often don’t make enough food on sunday to last the entire week, so i really struggle around thursday/friday and the weekend. those are the days that i tend to fall off the wagon a bit…
For anyone that is as addicted to coffee as I am: Good coffee made properly does NOT need anything added to it to taste yummy. period. If you need your caffeine fix via coffee (over tea), I would recommend getting some good beans to grind yourself and use a french press. you can get both at target for under $30.
For anyone that has to have a coke or soda everyday: I have become a fan of sparkling water. TJ’s has some yummy flavored ones that have been paleo challenge approved for 79 cents a liter. It is good and gives you the bubble fix while still being OK. I also drink a lot of water with lemon slices.
and finally, if you don’t have one already — go buy a crock pot. I have one and use it every week. It is much easier to stay paleo when you can through a ton of approved foods into it in the morning before work, and have it all ready to eat when you get home. Liz and Alison have some yummy recipes and I have tried a few off the other recipe sites that have been recommended. so check them out. Also, since it is winter, there are a lot more recipes that are good for cold weather (soups, chilis, stews, etc).
Sorry for the stream of conscious writing, weird punctuation and misspellings/typos — but I wanted to do a brain dump before I forgot. congrats/thanks for reading this far!
Ok — as promised:
Today I made some chicken curry soup in a crockpot. It was pretty ad hoc, but went something like this:
2 large chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
1 can coconut milk + 1/3 can water (which I used to get the rest of the coconut bits out of the can
2 cups chicken stock
1 piece lemon grass (found in the herb section of the produce department)
1 large piece of fresh ginger, finely grated with all gratings and juices put into pot. You can find fresh ginger in the produce section near the onions and fresh garlic
green curry paste (I had about 1/3 of the little jar left, so I tossed it all in)
red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons of dried chives (because my green onions had wilted too much).
cooked this on high for about 2 hours, then put on low for about 2.
January 8th, 2012 on 5:53 pm
Late breakfast (pretty much lunch):
Three eggs
Snack:
Salami, green olives, and pickled garlic (get it at the olive bar at whole foods– sounds vampire-ish, but it is really, really good!)
Dinner:
Coconut flake crusted chicken tenders. Cut chicken into tender-sized pieces. Put in a large ziploc bag. Toss in some shredded coconut and shake ‘n bake. Season with salt and pepper before cooking– one of my favorite things to eat! Hope the coconut flakes are OK Brian…
I think the key with paleo is preparing foods in advance. I too do a lot of cooking and prepping on Sunday so I can just grab and go during the week.
January 8th, 2012 on 5:56 pm
Also– if you are a soda/pop addict, consider buying a soda stream (www.sodastreamusa.com) They now sell them at Target and it has replaced a 10+ year diet coke habit for me. You can make you own soda water with it– and flavor it with limes and lemons at home! Great invention ever.
January 8th, 2012 on 6:34 pm
@Francisco – get full fat Coconut Milk. I like Orchid brand. However, most coffee shouldn’t need coconut milk if it’s not shitty coffee. For that, I like Counter Culture, which they sell online and at North Side Social.
January 8th, 2012 on 6:35 pm
@Bill Cook – I’ve never heard of the stuff, but it doesn’t look bad.
January 8th, 2012 on 6:37 pm
@Laura G. – that looks like a great day of eating, as long as it was a rest day. If you’re WODding, you need some starch!
January 8th, 2012 on 6:39 pm
@Roverjosh – no dairy means no milk in coffee. Give it up.
Spaghetti squash is great for post-WOD if we’re not looking to cut a significant amount of weight. If weight loss is the main goal though, meat and veggies only with fat to cook them in.
January 8th, 2012 on 6:41 pm
@Kourtney – great stuff, thanks!
January 8th, 2012 on 6:45 pm
What are some Paleo approved starches? Sweet potatoes? What else?
January 8th, 2012 on 7:06 pm
Ham/Mushroom/Onion Omelette w/ Bacon @ Cassats => Highly recommended breakfast spot around the corner from Patriot
Snacked on some salami
Dinner – Salmon & Roasted Asparagus
The biggest thing that is going to prevent me from cheating (besides the money) is my self inflicted punishment of 20 burpees every time I cheat. If I cheat more than once the number of burpees increases.
January 8th, 2012 on 7:17 pm
Brian – as far as starch goes, would love to. with that, about how much starch and does the timing for me, matter.
Forgive the lack of question marks – shift key is broken
Besides sweet potatoes, thinking butternut/acorn squash… any other good sources
January 8th, 2012 on 7:30 pm
B- two egg and onion omelet two bacon strips
L-lean ground beef and squash
D- 9oz ny strip with broccoli & zucchini
Snack- two bacon strips
Double decaf Espresso w/coconut milk
January 8th, 2012 on 7:37 pm
I’m starving. All day, no matter how much or often I eat. Is this normal?
January 8th, 2012 on 7:38 pm
if people are having trouble with black coffee – try adding cinnamon or a dash of vanilla/almond extract.
January 8th, 2012 on 7:51 pm
So…craving…sugar…ugh
January 8th, 2012 on 7:52 pm
I’m hungry no matter how much I eat as well and the headache has been in full effect since this afternoon
January 9th, 2012 on 4:49 am
Starving… what about mayo or margarine?
January 9th, 2012 on 5:39 am
Brian- can I eat eggplant?
January 9th, 2012 on 6:21 am
Follow up comments on
January 9th, 2012 on 6:30 am
@Jared A. – Slide 29.
@Laua G. – Slide 29. At your level of leanness and activity, starch for breakfast and post-WOD is fine. I like ‘fist size’ amount as a metric.
January 9th, 2012 on 6:32 am
Joining the conversation a little late.
January 9th, 2012 on 6:33 am
Are the weekday meetings going to be accessible online for those who can’t make it out in person?
January 9th, 2012 on 6:38 am
@Jess/Simon/Tina – Eat more, especially bacon.
You’re body can run off two fuel sources: sugar or fat. If you keep pumping sugar into it, it’ll keep storing fat. If you stop pumping sugar into it, it’ll run off fat.
The transition can be nasty, based on how addicted to sugar you are.
Keep eating protein/fat, as much as you want. Don’t skimp on the fat at all. Bacon, bacon, bacon.
Also, margarine and mayo are no go.
January 9th, 2012 on 6:38 am
@Mike T. – see comment to Jess/Simon/Tina.
January 9th, 2012 on 6:39 am
@Karen – yes, eggplant is good.
@Nate O. – I’m going to wire the meeting for video chat for folks that can’t make it. I don’t know how good the audio is going to be, but we’ll give it a shot and adjust if it doesn’t work as well as I hope.
January 9th, 2012 on 6:43 am
Weekly Stay On Track Meeting is 7:15pm Wednesday at 1020 N Highland St. Parking if free on both garages off Hudson Street and 10th after 6pm.
Enter through the Highland St Lobby and come to the 2nd floor party room (there will be signs).
We’ll have a Google+ Video Feed going where people can listen in and ask questions. I’ll send that link out shortly.
Also, we’re going to be changing the format of the blog a little bit and we’re going to have updated content daily starting tomorrow.
This will allow folks to just subscribe to blog posts instead of blog comments if they wish. I’ll make any announcements via blog posts so all challengers will have any big picture updates.
I’ll push out a link for blog comments via RSS, so if you have an RSS aggregator (I like Google Reader) you can read the comments that way or on the blog.
Hope everybody has a great day three!
January 9th, 2012 on 6:56 am
Brian — thanks for the update. extra thanks for updating how the comments get pushed to us. I checked the notify box, but I somehow only get some and not all of the postings — such as yours. weirdness.
also — for the Wednesday, is it cool if we bring fuel/dinner to chow on during the meeting?
January 9th, 2012 on 7:17 am
I just wanted to drop a note to everyone suffering from sugar crashes. Last March I spent 3 weeks at fat camp, where they eliminated all forms of sugar, other than fruit. During my first week there, I went through what can only be described as withdrawal.
I had freakish nightmares like being butt naked riding a horse, trying to get away from the State puff Marshmallow Man, I would wake up with bloodshot eyes like I had smoked a pound of pot, and during the day I was constantly hungry, and suffering from a mind that couldn’t stop thinking about eating.
All of the above were common symptoms at Fat Camp, after going through it, you realize how bad all that stuff is, I went through this all over again beginning Friday and finally going away this morning.
I thought I had cut out most refined sugars, but clearly I was taking them in, in other forms, like I learned last night two of my favorite dry rubs have either Dextrose, or Turbinado Sugar, (WTF?).
My advice to you all, is first drink more water, and carry with you hard-boiled eggs, or packed veggies like carrots or celery sticks. It won’t necessarily fill the sugar cravings, but will first get your brain to stop obsessing about food by getting something into your mouth, and fill you enough to get by and forget that your body wanted you to have the white-mans’ crack.
After the third day most of the cravings go away, I feel like today is the first morning I have gotten up and not felt a constant need to eat.
Bring your game peoples, because I’m going to whoop all of you. BTW has anyone seen what Antwone looks like doing Wall Balls?
http://www.bizarrebytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ball-face-1.jpg
Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes is available via Audible.com.
January 9th, 2012 on 7:19 am
Hi All – Hope everyone is pushing through day 3 … IT.DOES.GET.BETTER. – MUCH BETTER! Thanks Kourtney P for all the great tips!
Few other thoughts on getting through this transition. Regarding headaches – try adding a little lemon or lime juice to your water. I’m pretty sure this is what was suggested to me during the last challenge and seemed to help. And eat bacon.
During the last challenge I remember some people mentioning they were getting sick of bacon &/or eggs for breakfast. Two ideas that may help break the monotony of what you eat for breakfast as well as get you used to eating meat in the mornings (this was hard for me), keep you full and save you time.
I make 1 lb of ground turkey with my homemade Paleo taco seasoning on Sunday nights. I add a box of frozen chopped spinach (I’m always looking for ways to sneak veggies into my meals), chop up a red pepper and sometimes some sliced black olives and it lasts me the entire week. I have a small serving of the meat + 2 eggs at about 7am and that will get me till 12:30sih or so.(I had a real hard time breaking the mental habit of the mid morning/mid-afternoon snacking habit so this breakfast definitely kept me full so I wasn’t preoccupied with thinking I needed a snack). I also make enough scrambled eggs for 2 days – slightly undercook them so they don’t get rubbery when you nuke them in the morning. I’m usually rushing in the morning so cooking the meat on Sunday nights + knowing I don’t need to make eggs every morning helps.
Another option is pan frying (with olive oil) some sort of spicy chicken sausage (remove the casings) and julienned zucchini with cumin, red pepper flakes, paprika (honestly whatever spices you want). This meal can also be made a week ahead of time. The only catch is the zucchini holds A LOT of water so when you shread the zucchini place the pieces on a paper towel over tupperware or a bowl to help soak the water up. You will also want to make sure you do a final squeeze with a new paper towel to “dry” them. I didn’t do this all that well the first time I made it & breakfast ended up a bit soggy.
Hope this helps. Loving getting everyone’s recipes & meal ideas.
Stay strong everyone!
January 9th, 2012 on 7:45 am
@Brian – Wait, wait. I’m looking at a paleo mayo recipe right now and it contains only eggs, lemon juice, mustard powder, and olive oil. These are all paleo, right? Why would this be bad?
January 9th, 2012 on 7:49 am
@Lesley – Paleo mayo good to go! No store bought. Try it with bacon fat too!
January 9th, 2012 on 7:55 am
@Lesley, how about a little…you know…sharing…Paleo Mayo…
January 9th, 2012 on 7:56 am
Brian — can you post your salad dressing recipe, por favor? I am getting requests, but don’t have it withe me at the office.
January 9th, 2012 on 8:00 am
Salad Dressing:
http://brian.potomaccrossfit.com/uncategorized/the-i-will-now-have-sex-with-you-thank-you-salad-dressing/
January 9th, 2012 on 8:01 am
What’s the name of market in Falls Church City that has grass fed meats at great prices?
January 9th, 2012 on 8:13 am
Ok, one more. Suggestions for high-fiber foods? I used to eat a lot of berries and oatmeal. Now I eat a lot of kale and spinach, and I forsee a time when I’d rather stab myself in the eye than eat more kale. Suggestions for variety?
@ Colby S. about no sugar added coconut milk. I just bought a coconut at Giant and poked a hole in it. Fresh from the source. Plus then you can eat the coconut, too.
January 9th, 2012 on 8:14 am
@Brian PCF- “Brian, you were right.”
Ate bacon. Not hungry.
January 9th, 2012 on 8:19 am
Are the salmon oil gel capsules from Trader Joe’s the same as fish oil? And what is a good brand/type of beef jerky with low or no sugar added? Thanks!
January 9th, 2012 on 8:21 am
hey brian – what are your thoughts on pumpkin?
January 9th, 2012 on 8:39 am
@ Kim Local Market http://thelocalmarketva.com/, I hear there’s a great car wash near there…
January 9th, 2012 on 8:54 am
Paleo Mayonnaise! Recipe from Paleo Comfort Foods by Julie and Charles Mayfield.
Ingredients:
1 large egg, brought to room temp.
1.5 tablespoon lemon juice
0.5 teaspoon mustard powder
0.5 cup light or very mild tasting olive oil
0.5 avocado oil*
0.25 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
*Note- In my opinion, you can use whatever kinds of paleo friendly oil you like as long as the total amount stays the same. I’d start with light-tasting oil first though. I like bacon fat in there but the mayo taste is obviously very different.
Instructions:
1. Combine eggs, lemon juice, and mustard in food processor and blend until frothy.
2. Using the drip hole in the top of the processor, or pouring teaspoon by teaspoon to start, drizzle the oil in drop by drop. Do not rush this process, or you will end up with scrambled eggs mixed with oil! (I can attest to this!)
3. Once you have quite a few drops in there, you can pour the oil into the feed tube part of the food processor to let that useful drip hole control the rate of of flow for you.
4. Refrigerate in sealed container. This will keep for a week or so.
I’ve also used this recipe before as well:
http://www.paleoplan.com/2009/11-22/omega-3-mayonnaise/
Tada!
January 9th, 2012 on 8:57 am
Sorry, the above should read 0.5 cup avocado oil.
January 9th, 2012 on 9:18 am
To everyone:
I cannot recommend the following cookbooks highly enough.
1. Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals http://www.amazon.com/Primal-Blueprint-Quick-Easy-Meals/dp/0982207743/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326128853&sr=8-
Every single recipe in here takes 30 minutes or less to prepare and comes with multiple color photos. Furthermore, my non-paleo eating fiance loves them too. He’s even mentioned several times that he’d serve these meals to guests.
2. Paleo comfort Foods
(http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Comfort-Foods-Homestyle-Gluten-Free/dp/1936608936/ref=pd_sim_b_2)
More color photos, more amazing recipes.
Of course, for this challenge, stay away from the recipes with nuts and fruits.
Enjoy!
January 9th, 2012 on 9:21 am
cauliflower rice. get on it people. i made this yesterday to have and it is yummy.
http://paleospirit.com/2011/basic-cauliflower-rice-recipe/
January 9th, 2012 on 9:26 am
Ugh. Starting my sugar craving now. Already missing my post lunch bag of Skittles or box of Lemonheads…
January 9th, 2012 on 9:28 am
Kale chips made with kale (97 cents for a bunch), sea salt, and drizzled with olive oil. Make sure you don’t burn them. Bacon sticks-use a kabob stick and thread it through. Also, kabobs (beef, tomato, onion) are awesome.
Does anyone know if Restaurant 3′s bacon (that they make and sell) is ok?
Bacon makes it better. Just sayin’
January 9th, 2012 on 9:38 am
Brian,
1. Will I get better results doing Zone+Paleo?
2. For fat loss do you recommend limiting carbs to less than 50gm?
Also, if you love bacon….
http://virginiatraditions.com/Smoked-Bacon-Slab.aspx
January 9th, 2012 on 10:05 am
Test. and what I want to get out of Paleo Challenge – I want to eat better, get healthier, and look and feel hotter! 2 days down! Keep it up, challengers.
January 9th, 2012 on 10:13 am
I’m strangely, not hungry. Forcing myself to eat something soon. Also noticed that I woke up this morning, not starving.
January 9th, 2012 on 10:20 am
For anyone looking for a good/easy read on some of the science behind how we store fat and carbs, I recommend “Why We Get Fat – and what to do about it” by Gary Taubes. Just read it over the holidays again. Breaks things down nicely and is geared to explain things to people like us. You won’t get lost in the science.
January 9th, 2012 on 10:49 am
@WItty – I strongly DO NOT recommend the zone. You will be fine following the guidelines as I’ve laid them out.
This brings up an interesting point on “tweaking” that we find is consistent with Paleo Challenge athletes, and that is two points:
1) The people with the most success don’t “tweak”, they keep the main thing the main thing: eat meat, veggies, and fat.
2) The people with the least success “tweak” or “sea lawyer” Paleo diet. They usually do this in one of two ways:
2a. Fun Boy Paleo. Spend hours searching the internet for ways around eating meat, veggies, and fat, i.e., “I found this website that says that brownies are paleo if I use coconut flour and butter, so I can eat that, yeah!!!!!”
2b. Ascetic Paleo. If eating Paleo is good, then if I eat Paleo with no fat and weigh and measure, that’s even better!!!!! I’m going to only eat microwave turkey breast and raw spinach for a month.
Both of these approaches are doomed to failure. Eat meat, veggies, fat when you are hungry. Stop eating when you’re not hungry.
Ensure that you have meat in every meal/snack.
January 9th, 2012 on 11:52 am
I have starbucks coffee that I have to give away this week. Contest on my blog. Link in name. Would love for a pcf person to win. It’s a pound of coffee, super exciting i know.
January 9th, 2012 on 12:45 pm
Brian PCF, I’m all for meat with every meal and snack. Jerky is obviously the answer for those times when a frying pan and bacon are not immediately handy (say, in an airplane, at your in-laws, right after a WOD though — idea — install a stove in Patriot with DIY bacon time after each WOD). Anyway, a lot of jerky seems to list “Sugar” or “Brown Sugar” or even “Malodextrin” as the second ingredient…I’m figuring that’s not Paleo. Any recommendations for brands (and where you can buy them) of good jerky?
January 9th, 2012 on 4:06 pm
@Matt R. http://www.primalpacs.com/ I just ordered a bunch, Liz and Alison recommended these…
I’m finding that bacon has brown sugar, or sugar. Anyone know of a brand of bacon that doesn’t have sugar? I’m trying to eliminate all sugar from my intake for the challenge.
January 9th, 2012 on 4:52 pm
@Brian PFC – Missed the Saturday kickoff meeting due to work. So, I apologize if this type of topic was covered there.
First, my goal for doing the Paleo Challenge is to simply lean out a bit and to add some muscle through WODs.
I’m currently training for an early spring marathon along with a late spring Half Ironman and Tough Mudder.
I wanted to see if you know of any good resources for blending endurance training with a Paleo diet.
Currently, I’m looking at the advice outlined in “The Paleo Diet for Athletes: A Nutritional Formula for Peak Athletic Performance” by Loren Cordain and Joe Friel (nice summary here – http://www.trainingbible.com/pdf/Paleo_for_Athletes_Cliff_Notes.pdf), and working my way through Robb Wolf podcasts where he touches on the subject.
Any advice that you have on how to successfully combine Paleo and endurance sports would be great.
Now, time to make some bacon…
January 9th, 2012 on 5:29 pm
@ Matt R and everyone, My wife has been buying from Steve’s Original (http://stevesoriginal.com/store) for awhile for Jerky. It is just Jerky. No sugar. There are packs that have fruit and nuts, so not ok for the challenge for after they are FANTASTIC! I am a cable guy and need snacks that are Paleo Friendly to keep in the VAN. However, I will say they are NOT cheap…
As for Bacon, Gwaltney from Giant has a few option. The one I chose was “Hardwood Smoked” No sugar, but it did have Sodium phosphate/ertholybate (or something) and Nitrates. However, it has the least amount of ingredients I could find. Except for RAW bacon, it is the best. A little salty, though.
January 9th, 2012 on 5:30 pm
Ooooh, had a HUGE beef top sirloin Tip steak for dinner. Grass fed from Local Market in Falls Church. Cooked it with a little salt/Arizona dreaming spice (Penzeys) in a pan with Bacon Grease. Seered both sides, then threw her in the over for about 10 minutes….Wooooofff that was a good steak!
January 9th, 2012 on 6:05 pm
On the Food Matrix chart, anyone know what the asterisks mean after certain veggies? Are those the starchy ones? Not sure I’m eating the right amount of starch.
January 9th, 2012 on 6:32 pm
The * means starchy, yes
January 9th, 2012 on 6:50 pm
@Bryan PCF
I just set up an account at http://paleotrack.com to track nutrients.
It said I consumed too many Omega-6.
Is this a problem? If so, how do I fix it?
Do I just need to consume more rich oil? Or buy more grass fed meats?
January 9th, 2012 on 7:13 pm
When I came home from the WOD tonight, found my husband baking chocolate chip cookies. Cannot tell you how good they smelled! But I resisted. And I mention this only to share a sweet-tooth buster I’ve found works for me (if you like it): eat some sauerkraut. I sure hope this is okay during the challenge (?) because I couldn’t eat any more pig tonight and it saved me from scarfing a cookie.
January 9th, 2012 on 7:51 pm
@Matt R. – http://lmgtfy.com/?q=sugar+free+jerky
@PaleoChad2012 – contact tes@potomaccrossfit.com
@Dillon – Stop tracking, you’re being anal retentive.
@Monique – Sauerkraut is great stuff!
@Everybody – please transition comments to the new post here: http://www.paleochallenge.potomaccrossfit.com/posts/new-year-paleo-challenge-day-4/
You can now subscribe to posts via email (see right sidebar)
You can now subscribe to comments via RSS.
So no more comments on this blog post please! Post comments to new blog post above. Thanks!
January 9th, 2012 on 7:56 pm
Brian PCF – so today was day one of football practice and I was extremely dizzy every time I came out of a stance….I remember last time going cold turkey on sugar I had dizzy spells but not sure if I can do anything to prevent them these first few weeks while my body adjusts? Also….cramping….coming into my apartment I had a major cramp up the side of my back and shoulder…it was pretty horrible? I’m a Brian+ body as you know so I’m just meat/veggies right now…..Thanks!
January 9th, 2012 on 11:11 pm
@Kristin – see above comment. Please repost here:
http://www.paleochallenge.potomaccrossfit.com/posts/new-year-paleo-challenge-day-4/
January 10th, 2012 on 2:49 pm
Brian, last question. Going on a 3 day camping/ice climbing trip with limited food options. Are Paleo Kits from steves orginial OK in an emergency? Looks like they have fruit in them. Anyone have recommendations?
February 23rd, 2012 on 12:20 pm
Are there any expensive goods in the department store today?